Obesity is a complex condition that is increasingly affecting the population worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were an estimated 1.6 billion adults who were classified as overweight in 2005, and at least 400 million adults of these adults were considered obese. In addition, 20 million children under the age of five were classified as overweight in 2005. The WHO further projects that by 2015, approximately 2.3 billion adults will be overweight and more than 700 million will be obese.
Both congenital and environmental factors, such as exercise and eating habits, contribute to this disease. In addition to affecting the lifestyle of an individual, obesity can lead to a number of complications and diseases, including hypertension, stroke, type II diabetes, gallbladder disease, cardiovascular disease, hyperlipidemia, sleep apnea, coronary artery disease, joint osteoarthritis, gout, infertility, and cancer. Its health consequences range from increased risk of premature death to serious chronic conditions that reduce the overall quality of life.
Diabetes mellitus is a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by high blood glucose levels. Type 1 or insulin-independent diabetes results from a deficiency of insulin due to destruction of the insulin-producing pancreatic β-cell islets. People who suffer from type 1 diabetes have to take exogenous insulin to prevent the development of ketoacidosis. In type 2 or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, muscle, fat, and liver cells become resistant to the actions of insulin. In addition, the mechanisms that are activated in β-cells to secrete insulin to maintain blood glucose levels within a normal physiological range fail to function properly. Type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90% of all diabetes cases.
Diabetes is a potentially dangerous disease because it is associated with marked increases in the incidence of coronary, cerebral, and peripheral artery disease. As a result, patients with diabetes have a much higher risk of developing other disorders such as myocardial infarction, stroke, limb amputation, renal failure, or blindness. Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is responsible for 80% of diabetic mortality and more than 75% of all hospitalizations for diabetic complications.
Obesity and type 2 diabetes are highly correlated conditions. For example, an obese animal, such as a human, is at a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. What is needed are compositions and methods for treatment of obesity and or diabetes.
Approximately 10 million people in the U.S. are estimated to have osteoporosis, a disease that results in over 1.5 million bone fractures a year. The direct expenditures for osteoporosis in 2001 totaled $17 billion, which equals a cost of $47 million per day. Osteoporosis is therefore a significant health problem. The accumulation of adipocytes in bone marrow is believed to be a major factor contributing to age-related bone loss. For example, women with osteoporosis have higher numbers of marrow adipocytes than women with healthy bone, and bone formation rate is inversely correlated with adipocyte number in bone tissue biopsies from both men and women. Thus, what is needed are compositions and methods for treatment of osteoporosis and other bone disorders.